An examination of the ways in which the French Left adapted, through a series of transformations, to the exigencies of presidentialism and the myths which underpin it. The study aims to illustrate the crucial role played by language in the political practice of representative democracy.

Introduction: the Fifth Republic - Political Leadership - Method - Discourse and Tradition: the Communists - Tradition and Innovation: the Communists - Discourse and Organisation: the Socialists - Organisation and Modernisation: the Socialists - Conclusion - Index